The impressive UAE Derby winner Toast Of New York could well be gearing up to run in the Investec Derby at Epsom come June. He was added to the field at the recent second entry stage, and his connections have ruled out a trip to America for the Kentucky Derby.
The Classic could very well be the Group 2 winner’s next start, after taking home the Derby win (part of the Dubai World Cup) by two and a half lengths at odds of 11-1. His connections preferred to skip a trial for the Classic, instead entering him at a cost of £8,000.
The Jamie Osborne trained three year-old has won all three of his last outings, and there was talk in the immediate aftermath of his Meydan success of heading to Kentucky. Osborne explained his reason for a change of heart, claiming: “It is not something we have dismissed lightly, but we felt bringing him back from Dubai and then shipping him to another continent to race on an unknown surface [dirt] was too high a risk at this stage of his career.”
Plans for the two-time all-weather winner at Wolverhampton before bursting onto the scene at Meyden are still up in the air. Osborne admitted he entered Toast Of New York in the Derby, who he described as having a “potentially very big career”, as an avenue of keeping his options open.
“We could supplement today for £8,000, or wait until June 2 and do it for £75,000. This does not mean the Derby will necessarily be his target, but we wanted to have the option. He is very well, has put back on all the weight he lost in the race and in transit and has started cantering again this week.
“If we are happy with him in May then it is possible we will look at the Derby and he could well go straight there but we are happy to let the horse tell us where we go at this stage. We will listen to him and find the right race when he is ready.”
Toast Of New York is a 20-1 shot for the Derby at 
Bet365, which will be run on June 7.
The Investec Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs in Surrey over a distance of 2,423 metres.
It is Britain’s richest horse race, and the most prestigious of the country’s five Classics. It is sometimes referred to as the “Blue Riband” of the turf. The name “Derby” has become synonymous with great races all over the world, and as such has been borrowed many times, notably by the “Kentucky Derby”. However, the Epsom Derby is the original. It is one of Britain’s great national events transcending its own field of interest, and has a huge world-wide TV audience.
Follow all the updates for the Derby and place your ante post bets at Bet365 – the best bonus bookmaker on the web.
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